IN a final that pitted one of the sport’s legends against one of its rising stars, Garbine Muguruza won the 2016 French Open over Serena Williams.

    The world No. 4 defeated Williams 7-5, 6-4 to capture her first Grand Slam title. She is the first Spanish woman to win a major title since 1998.

    Muguruza took it to the defending champion, matching her intensity and heavy-hitting to dictate play. Williams, facing off against an opponent 12 years her junior and fighting an adductor injury, struggled with her movement.

    Murugurza and Williams opened the match blazing, as each showed off their impressive serves. It would take until the fifth game for Muguruza to capture the first break of the match on a double-fault from Williams.

    Williams fended off two set points in the opener, but Muguruza would not be denied on the third try, sending a strong backhand past the three-time Roland Garros chamapion’s outstretched racquet to win the opening set.

    Muguruza continued her momentum into the second set, marching out to a 3-1 lead and looking poised to take the match. Still, the world No. 1 showed plenty of fight in her 27th Grand Slam final. Down 5-3 in the second set, Williams staved off four match points to push on to a 10th game. But serving for the match, Muguruza would come through, holding to love and winning on a perfectly placed lob shot that fell just inside the lines.

    Saturday’s win was Muguruza’s second over Williams in Paris, as she knocked her out of the second round in 2014.

    For the third consecutive major, Williams’ bid for a record-tying 22nd Grand Slam singles title will have to wait. Williams lost to Roberta Vinci in the 2015 U.S. Open and fell to Angelique Kerber earlier this year in Melbourne. Her record in Grand Slam finals record now stands at 21-6. (SD-Agencies)